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Posted by Heliocentrism on May 10, 2017

Friday, April 7th, 2017

The Forbidden Purple City

This was the day it suddenly got hot. In Hanoi it was warm. But in Hue, it was hot. I brought a coffee tumbler with me on the trip. This was the day I started using it religiously. It is a Starbucks Lucy Tumbler. It keeps hot things hot and cold things cold for hours. This tumber is saving my life right now.

We would buy some cold drinks, preferably one with lots of ice. When all the drink was gone and I had nothing but ice left, I would put that ice in my tumbler with water. Then I would have cold water all day.

The Forbidden Purple City is so beautiful. I wanted to take way more photos than I did. It was just so hot. I would walk around for 15 minutes then have to look for a place in the shade to sit and sip my cold water. If the place wasn’t so spectacular, I would have given up and spent the day in an air conditioned coffee shop.

My Recommendations for surviving a Hot Day in Hue:

Bring lots of water.

Even if you don’t have a coffee tumbler.

Get an umbrella.

Mark bought his on the walk from the hostel to the ancient town.

Go early in the morning (8:00 – 10:00) and then in the evening (after 15:30).

Stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.

Wear a hat and sun screen.

There are sections of the palace that have fans and an air condition unit. Hang out there for a while.

Unfortunately, the doors of the air conditioned areas are never closed. So, it’s cool only right in front of the ac units.

Don’t worry if you cannot get Vietnamese dong from your local bank back home. You can get your dong at the bank in Vietnam. (DO NOT get money at the airport. You will never get a good rate. Use an ATM/bank.) Don’t get too much; no one will buy it back from you. Many hotels, fancy restaurants, and tour agents will take US dollars or Euros. Though who knows what exchange rate they will use? You will need dong for taxis, small shops, and local restaurants and vendors.

When you get to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh pick up a map of the area from any hotel, hostel, travel agency, or tourist information center. Once you have one of those you’ll be able to find anything.

Having a map of the area in Hanoi is very important. Every block has a different street name so once you know the name of street something is on you can easily find it with a map.

Wherever you choose to stay, make sure you bring a picture and the address of the hotel. One common trick that taxi and motorbike-taxi drivers like to pull is to take you to the wrong hotel. When you say, “I asked for ABC Hotel!” They will tell you that the name changed. They usually get a commission for bringing tourist to certain hotels.

Sometimes hotels do change names. But most likely a hotel will not change names between the time of your booking accommodations and your arrival without telling you.

Also, asking the average Joe on the street for ABC hotel will do nothing. Locals don’t stay in hotels, so they don’t remember hotel names. But Mr. Joe will know where 123 Hanoi St. is.

Also for taxis, NEVER agree to a flat rate fee. The flat rate fee will always be way higher than it should be. Always demand that the cab driver use the meter. If he doesn’t want to use his meter, get out. Taxi drivers are a dime a dozen. This is true in most countries.

For motorbike taxis, settle on the cost of the ride before getting on. Ask fellow travelers for advice on how much a ride should cost.

Watch out for cyclo drivers that claim not to have change as a way to get more money out of you. If you need to, wait for one of those fruit vendors to come along and buy something from her to make change. You really should ask the cost to your destination and make sure you have exact change before you get in the cyclo.

It’s best not to say anything bad about Ho Chi Minh while in Vietnam. He is still very much loved by his people.

There are companies that charge 10USD to take you from Hanoi to the airport. They are all around Hanoi. Use one of those instead of jumping into a random cab.